by Adam Partington
For years, collecting was quietly enjoyed behind closed doors, a personal obsession, often seen as a little eccentric.
But that’s all changed.
In the last decade, collecting has gone from private pastime to cultural flex. Whether it's rare sports cards, silver coins, or Pokémon holographics, collectors are now proudly sharing their treasures online and sparking communities that stretch across generations.
We live in a world where display shelves are back in fashion, where niche knowledge is a social currency, and where what you collect can say just as much about you as what you wear.
In part, this is thanks to social media, which has made it easier to celebrate passion and share stories, and the internet’s love for nostalgia certainly helps too.
Here are a few surprising names who collect and what they’re into:
Yes, Forrest Gump himself is a full-blown typewriter nut. Tom Hanks owns over 250 vintage machines (the clunkier, the better), and he’s been known to travel with one just in case inspiration strikes.
He’s even released a book of short stories inspired by his typewriter collection. For Hanks, the appeal is tactile - the click-clack of keys, the permanence of ink on paper. It’s a romantic view of writing, tied up in nostalgia and craftsmanship.
You might know him for his raspy voice and leopard-print stagewear, but off-stage, Rod Stewart is busy building 1940s America. In miniature. His model railway setup spans 1,500 square feet, painstakingly recreating post-war New York and Chicago with incredible detail.
For Stewart, it’s more than a hobby, it’s meditation, creativity, and control.
Model railway building has seen a quiet resurgence in recent years, with many collectors embracing its mix of nostalgia, engineering, and slow, thoughtful craft.
A bit darker, but no less fascinating. Angelina Jolie has collected knives since her teens, seeing them as both art and artefact. Some are ceremonial, some functional, some ancient.
She’s spoken about the cultural significance behind blades and their role in tradition and storytelling. (Also: try asking your partner to store 19th-century daggers in the kitchen drawer and see what happens.)
World Cup winner, La Liga star… and elite collector? Antoine Griezmann has shown off parts of his Pokémon collection online, and insiders say he’s not just casually buying, he’s hunting grails.
From 1st Edition Charizards to rare promo cards, Griezmann represents a broader wave of younger athletes fuelling the hobby’s second (or third?) boom.
Pokémon is no longer just kid stuff, it’s a high-stakes, global market with cross-generational appeal.
Veteran broadcaster Keith Olbermann might be better known for political commentary, but in collector circles, he’s baseball card royalty. He’s been collecting since childhood, helped identify stolen Topps prototypes in the early 2000s, and still buys cards on eBay today.
In fact, a Reddit user recently shared a story about selling a card to Olbermann, and not realising who he was until they saw the shipping name!
Baseball cards (and American sports collectibles more broadly), have driven many of the trends we see today: graded cards, auction platforms, limited editions, and cultural tie-ins.
The U.S. market often acts as a bellwether for what’s coming next, with influencers and athletes playing a huge role in mainstream visibility.
That collecting isn’t just about the item, it’s about memory, status, self-expression, and connection.
From elite athletes to award-winning actors, collecting is no longer a subculture. It’s a signal. And that’s what ColleXable is built for.
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